Century Marks
by Glory1863
Summary: Responses to drabble prompts based on characters and various 'ships, including slash, from Star Trek:  Enterprise.  New chapters 51-60.
1. Leaves

At Hayes' memorial, the fallen bright red and yellow leaves of autumn turned to brown, sodden clumps in the incessant chilly drizzle.

When Trip came home, the shade of green, leafy trees provided the only respite from a temperature of 95 and humidity that made it feel like 110.

At Hoshi's funeral, leaves were but buds, the air filled with the scent of flowering cherry trees, the ground covered with their pink and white petals.

Malcolm was buried in the bleak midwinter, the trees bare and dark against the gray sky, no protection from the icy wind off the sea.


	2. Soup

Chef's demeanor didn't encourage many special requests, but the crew soon found them unnecessary. He heard the gossip at the tables, the petty disappointments, major disasters and occasional triumphs. He heard the wistful discussions of food "like mama used to make" or the dessert "to die for" at a hometown hangout. He knew who habitually ate alone and who surreptitiously dropped by late at night battling cravings as well as insomnia. He saw who took what, what sold and what didn't on the line. At chef's café, comfort food was always on the menu, chicken soup for the crew's soul.


	3. Ketchup

At a meeting of the senior officers, Phlox suggested holding a disaster drill to keep the skills of the medical department sharp. It was a common practice at hospitals on Earth and Denobula. With Archer's approval, Reed ordered his security personnel to play "victims."

Things were going well, the "patients" presenting with a variety of gruesome injuries when, without warning, Chef burst into sickbay. "What have you done with my ketchup?"

"We needed a realistic substitute for blood," Reed explained.

"Take supplies from the galley again without my permission, _monsieur, _and you will not need a substitute!"

Reed didn't argue.


	4. Emerald

Porthos whined in sleep. His doghouse, caught in a swirling wormhole, flew through space and landed on the Evil Green Female in Heat. He and Lady Erect Ears made friends in this place: Uncle Trip with no brain around females, Lady Many Barks whose fears were as numerous as her barks and Watchdog behind his shields who was looking for a heart he didn't know he already had. They followed the yellow-tailed comet to the Wiggle Ear city of emerald ice where Smiling Vet came from behind the curtain. Porthos woke, then caught Dad's scent. There's no place like home!


	5. Scarf TR

Malcolm's fingers caressed the luxurious fabric of the scarf, a much-sought product of the Tholians according to Trip. Blue was his color, so everyone said, but this fierce electric blue? He tied the scarf into an ascot, checked his reflection in the mirror, decided he'd do for an intimate birthday dinner at the planet's swankiest club. Perhaps tonight was the time to enlighten Trip about a part of his past life.

"Trip, love, have I ever told you about a bloke named Ian Westbury?"

After the recital, Trip's eyes were wide. "Whatever your name, darlin', I'm still your greatest fan."


	6. Shimmer TR

Once he'd had all of Malcolm Reed. Soft dark hair under his hand. Changeable blue-gray eyes, windows to a surprisingly gentle and caring soul. Lips sweeter than pecan pie. A compact, strong, wiry body beside him, around him, within him, warmth in the coldest and darkest of nights.

Now all he had left was the soft echo of an English-accented voice: "Remember me. I will always love you." Memories of arguments, misunderstandings, a damn cold shuttlepod, realization, laughter, love, too few years together (with still the occasional argument).

And the shimmer of a tiny hologram.

In the twilight, Trip wept.


	7. Invincible

Invincible. When had he begun applying that word to Trip? After he survived pregnancy? Hypothermia? Risa? The loss of his sister? A fall from the warp core? The zip line ride at warp? Terra Prime? The loss of his daughter? That on-again/off-again "thing" with T'Pol that had been off again?

Invincible. Why had he ever considered such a thing? He knew better, but then Trip had a way of talking him into things against his better judgment. Things like optimism.

Now Trip was gone and he was at loose ends. Why not re-up for Archer's next mission? Archer was invincible.


	8. Butterflies TR

Malcolm Reed was tough as nails. He could take a truly astonishing amount of punishment and still be "fine." His small, thin build belied that, though, and some, like Major Hayes, had to learn the lesson the hard way. There were still things, however, that could give Reed butterflies: Night watch high in the crow's nest of the tall ship _Endeavour_ in the North Sea, a shuttlepod ride through an asteroid field with Travis Mayweather at the controls, the "thunk" of a gravitic mine attaching itself to the hull and the sight of Trip Tucker stepping out of the shower.


	9. Stomach

He'd had to stomach a lot while dating T'Pol. Snooty lectures on behavior, one of which **she** forget when she dropped the robe. Learning the next morning he was an "experiment", though he kept providing data every time she came sniffing around. Didn't the Vulcan database have an entry warning not to take a human male home to meet mama and then marry someone else? Now she wanted to be Queen Vulcan and only had time for Surak.

"T'Pol, you need to figure out who you are and what you want. I can't stomach being treated like a Yo-Yo anymore."


	10. Honey TR

Trip was bushed. He'd spent the week making repairs from _Enterprise's_ last misadventure and worrying about Malcolm in sickbay. This was the last work order. He sighed and got to it: Picked up the clutter in his quarters, did laundry, cleaned "the loo", programmed requested vids into terminal, picked up food and sprang Malcolm from sickbay.

At last back in his quarters, Malcolm checked the PADD on the desk. "You forgot something," he smirked.

"Like what?" Trip groused. He checked the "honey-do" list on the PADD then pulled Malcolm into a hug. "Oh yeah. Missed ya, darlin'!"

Order status: Complete.


	11. Lemon TR

"Cease and desist, Commander, I can't hear myself think."

Trip shrugged wordlessly and exchanged his harmonica for a PADD filled with _Superman _comics. Periodic glances at Malcolm revealed a face scrunched up in concentration.

"Ah, found you, you little bugger!" Fingers flew inputting a corrected equation. His face relaxed in satisfaction.

"You know, Malcolm, you remind me of a lemon. You're tart sometimes, but you make me want to pucker up." He kissed him lightly and was rewarded with a wry look of apology.

"They say when life hands you lemons, you make lemonade. Could you use some assistance, love?"


	12. Grease RS

Hoshi was surprised that her shy, quiet date had accepted her invitation to movie night. A teenage musical didn't seem to be his style. In the darkened mess hall, she took surreptitious glances at the toned body that sat beside her dressed in a tight black T-shirt and even tighter black jeans. He seemed totally unaware that he had a real bad-boy Danny Zuko thing going on. Later, back in her quarters, she happily sang along with the Spanish-language soundtack for _Vaselina_, the evening's film. In any language, she thought, Malcolm Reed, honey, you are the one that I want.


	13. Bubble MU

"It's simple, really. Place the device over the pulse point in the neck, then press here to activate. Would you like a demonstration, Major?"

Reed's hand flashed out, grasped Phlox's wrist and applied increasing pressure until the modified hypospray dropped on the biobed. "Thank you, but no, Doctor. What happens next?"

"The embolus travels to the heart and blocks blood flow from the right ventricle to the lungs. The subject dies."

"Outstanding!" Too bad Tucker couldn't enjoy the irony of being killed by vapor lock. Amazing that something as innocent as a bubble could rid him of the troublesome engineer.


	14. Bag AU Stinky Verse

Something's up. The way Malcolm clutches that bag. Did it just move? Long scratches on his hand. Helped Station Security subdue a shoplifter, or so he says. Porthos whining at Malcolm's feet. Trip feeding him endless treats. The whining changing to barking and growling.

"Sorry, Malcolm, I'm out."

The bag erupts with a sound like a tactical alert. A multicolored fur ball flies past my shoulder and lands on the helm console. Teeth bared, claws out, tail lashing, hissing.

Travis laughs. "Easy, Stinky."

He turns for a second and grins. "Way to let the cat out of the bag, Porthos!"

NOTE: Stinky, Malcolm's little male calico cat, is the creation of SitaZ. I'm going to play with him as long as she'll let me. Porthos and Stinky have all the "disaster duo" potential of Trip and Malcolm.


	15. Vacuum

"It's a law of physics, Commander. Nature abhors a vacuum."

Eyebrow raised. "Is that why humans speak endlessly on matters of no importance rather than be silent and meditate on those that are?"

"Damn!" Breadstick crumbs flew everywhere.

"No, it's space abhors a vacuum."

The perpetually present broad smile widened. "But Captain, space isa vacuum. It must have serious psychological issues. I find that disturbing."

Actually, it's power abhors a vacuum, which is why I'm here, the steward named Daniels thought as he vacuumed up the crumbs in the mess hall, just another miscellaneous duty for a temporal agent.


	16. Smoke TR

Malcolm Reed contemplated his life while sitting in the brig. It was a sham, the whole bloody lot of it, starting with the cultured accent painfully learned at school. Then the stint as an airhead rock star while working for Harris. All the times he'd told Phlox he was "fine" when he really wanted to curl up in a ball and die. But most of all, quoting the nonfrat regs, leaving farewell messages to random women of his acquaintance and praising T'Pol's bum when the one who owned his heart was Trip. Malcolm Reed was nothing but smoke and mirrors.


	17. Clinging RS

She's clinging so hard to the weapon that her knuckles are white. "Relax, Ensign. The phase pistol is your friend. Let me show you."

Hoshi arrives at my door topless, hands clinging to her breasts. I give her a shirt and turn away, my face aflame. How I wish I were that shirt clinging to those sweet curves!

Hayes died to bring her home. I sit in sickbay, my hand clinging to hers. "Please wake up, love."

The Captain smiles. "You may kiss your bride, Lieutenant." Dearest Hoshi and I will be clinging together for the rest of our lives.


	18. Thorns

I yip with joy when Dad says we're going to visit Lady Erect Ears' home territory, but she's not so pleased that I'm coming.

"T'Pol, Porthos doesn't bite, and I'll keep him on a very short leash."

It's quite hot where the Erect Ears pack lives, so all the plants have thorns instead of leaves. Thorns that prick my paws, scratch my belly and poke my nose when I stop to smell a flower. Thorns even try to kill me.

"Captain, that plant is poisonous to canines."

I begin to understand why Lady Erect Ears doesn't like to be touched.


	19. Cupcakes AU MU

Hoshi was running a cursory scan of the recovered shuttlepod's comm logs but her mind was elsewhere. There was something "off" about Malcolm. Trip would call it gut instinct, but for her it was her linguist's ear. He sounded a shade too aggressive, too snide and, with her, too forward.

Her console beeped. What was that small encrypted file? The decoder recognized an old cipher.

"Beware of Reed. Not who or what he seems."

Authorization code: Pineapple cupcakes.

Her eyes widened. She brought her hand to her mouth to stifle the question "Malcolm?" But he was sitting there at tactical.


	20. Alcohol AU MU

Malcolm awoke in quarters, in his captor's uniform, reeking like the cheapest pub on Risa with a hangover comparable to one he'd gotten after downing a bottle of Andorian ale, but this time he hadn't had a drop.

A hand slapped his face. Archer's voice, too loud. "I ought to space your worthless ass, Reed. If Hayes wasn't in worse shape, he'd be running the armory now. The prisoner's gone along with the shuttlepod. I want them back! You better deliver."

Reed was on his way to _Enterprise _while he was here in Bedlam. Damn, but he needed a drink!


	21. Shuttlepod AU MU

He entered the launch bay unobtrusively and efficiently decked Lieutenant Hayes. "You're not ready for my job, bucko, but you can sort things out with the imposter. Not my problem," he breathed over the still form. The shuttlepod was the goal.

He'd impersonate himself to get launch clearance. No one would question his claim that Archer wanted the pod checked out, not at this time of the morning, not if they wanted to escape punishment detail. The "truth" would dawn too late. The nav logs should get him back to the wormhole and a new career in a new universe.


	22. Rattle

Andorians are a passionate people. Shran had loved Talas heart and soul, was on the verge of asking her to be his bond mate, but never got the chance. She'd been killed by that worthless Tellarite pig. Now Shran wanted revenge. Not with a phase pistol. Too easy. Not even with the ceremonial _ushaan-tor_. He wanted to throttle the man with his bare hands, to both feel and hear the death rattle as he squeezed the life out of his adversary, but thanks to the meddling Pinkskin, he was to be denied even this. Didn't Archer understand? Someone must pay!


	23. Boots

Malcolm Reed got on the treadmill. Major Hayes had been the biggest pain in the arse since haemorrhoids all day, and he needed to work off the aggravation if he hoped to get any sleep tonight. It didn't help that snatches of an oldies song Chef had on in the mess hall at dinner were stuck in his mind, but soon his feet were pounding out a steady rhythm to that song: _"These boots are made for walkin', and that's just what they'll do. One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you."_ His smile was feral.

Note: The song _These Boots are Made for Walkin'_ was written by Lee Hazlewood.


	24. Technology

Chef paused to look up an ingredient in a recipe. The screen said "File Not Found." After an hour inputting the complicated directions for an Andorian dish, he got the "blue screen of death" as he was about to "save." After lunch, he attempted to send his supply requisition to Jupiter Station but got a 404 error. When he rebooted the replicators after spending the afternoon programming new selections, the screen said "General Failure Reading Drive A." He threw the cheap Starfleet-issue cleaver at the offending monitor and channeled Lieutenant Reed's satisfaction in destruction. "_Merde_," he growled, "I hate technology!"


	25. Cookout

A cookout while exploring a planet humans had never seen before. For Trip, it didn't get much better than that. And for a guy raised in space, Travis sure caught on to the ghost stories around the campfire ritual real fast. That last Boomer legend was a real humdinger! Liz Cutler about jumped out of her skin, which was to be expected from a girl, but even Novakovich was edgy. T'Pol remained aloof, sitting to one side and giving everyone else "the look." Come to think of it, though, he had the strangest feeling she wasn't the only one watching.


	26. Silk

She was exotically beautiful with her long, elaborately braided hair and warm, smooth, white skin so different from his rougher blue. Her voice was quiet and gentle, the touch of her mind to his calming his rages. For all that, she was extraordinarily brave. She could face his potential wrath without flinching, had trusted this warrior stranger not of her people, had gone off world with him on a ship filled with Pinkskins about whom she knew next to nothing and, in the end, had saved them all. His beloved Jhamel was an ornate blade wrapped in the finest silk.


	27. Bliss

The two-legged females of my pack say that the way to a male's heart is through his stomach: Uncle Trip with the sweet nut treat and catfish (?) and Watchdog with the sweet/sour yellow ring fruit treat. Kibble is boring! I use my best sad-eyed begging routine to get table scraps of any kind, though cheese is best, and I always obey Chow Hound so he'll give me bones to gnaw. But the ones I love most are the ones I trust to scratch my belly and not hurt me when I'm in that most vulnerable position. Now that's bliss!


	28. Delicious

From head to toe and front to back, Trip Tucker was the apple of his lover's eye. Sunlight glinting off golden hair. Warm skin darkened to the color of honey by a week's leave spent playing on the beach. The pale, smooth area concealed by the barely there Speedos. Water droplets taking meandering paths down crisply defined muscle planes after a dunk in the ocean. The lazy drawl that spoke of apple brown betty, peach cobbler and pecan pie. Sweet lips and even spicier kisses. The unique scent that filled the cabana. Yes, Trip Tucker was one big Golden Delicious.


	29. Intrepid

Captain Malcolm Reed surveyed the pictures of earlier British ships called _Intrepid_: One abandoned in the Arctic in 1854 in a vain hunt for Sir John Franklin's lost expedition. One had chased the _Bismarck_. One had seen Argentina's surrender in the Falklands. The Yankee carrier had gone from World War II to the space age, picking up both Mercury and Gemini capsules, to a museum in New York, the FBI command center during 9/11. But his would be the last. He grimaced at the irony of his ship's motto: "In the sea, in heaven." There is no escape from fate.


	30. Dainty AU Stinky Verse

I watch the tiny cat take dainty little steps as he goes from one member of my pack to another. I watch a delicate little pink tongue daintily lap up the saucer of warm milk Chow Hound put out for him.

"Porthos, time to meet the new crewman."

I have just enough time to register an arched back and narrowed eyes before the claws on his right front paw rake my snout. There was nothing dainty about that blow.

"I'm terribly sorry, sir!" Watchdog at his most submissive.

Dad's rueful laugh. "I should have known he'd be an attack cat."


	31. Willing AR

Hands played over his body in a effort to feed his arousal. There was nothing he wanted more than to be consumed by passionate lovemaking, to revel in being alive, to forget the feel of the rope at his neck and the terror barely hidden behind his officer's mask, but the adrenaline had burned away and left him exhausted.

"I'm sorry, love," he began.

A finger touched his lips. "I understand, Malcolm. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." He felt himself gathered into Jonathan's arms. "To have you here safe is all I really want or need."


	32. Ambrosia

Ambrosia means "food of the gods." Chef wasn't a linguist like Hoshi, but he knew the terminology of cooking, and he wanted this meal to be a special one.

"That was terrific, Chef, 'specially dessert. I hope I didn't put you to too much trouble by askin' for it."

"No trouble at all,_ Monsieur_ Sim. It was my pleasure. An honor."

Now, in the wee hours, Chef wished for Hoshi's talent as he struggled to find the words to explain to Mrs. Tucker why she might need the attached recipe for Key Lime pie the next time Trip came home.


	33. CHiPs XO

Travis was cruising up the 101 to San Francisco in the newest ground car on Memorial Day, his mind on the race at Indy blaring from the speakers. Man, what he'd give to drive there, even just the pace car! He didn't notice the California Highway Patrol cycle cops behind him until they lit up.

Having pulled over, he presented the license and registration PADD to the dark-haired officer, Poncherello. After a long moment, Ponch smiled and deactivated the ticket PADD.

"Starfleet, I know you have a need for speed, but you can't go warp 5 in a 70 zone."


	34. Cold

Space is cold. You learn that in a shuttlepod with minimal life support and no engine. Phlox tells you the booze didn't help.

Space is cold. You learn that when an accident leaves your chief engineer brain dead and your solution is to create a being for spare parts. You'd have ordered his death, killed him yourself, if he hadn't "volunteered" to die.

Space is cold. Is that memory or premonition? They put you in a box, say sad goodbyes, launch you into the void and go on about their lives.

You float alone in your box. Space is cold.


	35. Slinky AU Stinky Verse

Stinky, a little male calico cat, watched a female member of his new pride through narrowed eyes. She was different from the other females, more standoffish like a Siamese, though she didn't hiss or claw. Her graceful movements and form-fitting "cat suit" skin in a color he'd never seen on a feline before attracted much male attention, even his. His dad, Brave Tiger, said she had a nice bum. Dad's friend, Ginger Fur with Cheshire Grin, said she had a nice ass. Is it any wonder that he would think of the one called T'Pol as Slinky Lady Nice Tail?


	36. Warped AU MU

Where the bloody hell was he? The last thing he remembered was the wormhole. He'd never liked sickbay, but this version of Phlox would gleefully go into practice with Mengele without hesitation. Trip was scarred body and soul, a bitter, vicious man, with no trace of the charming, Southern "good old boy" he knew. Hoshi? There was no polite way to say this. Hoshi was a harlot in thought, word and deed. And his own counterpart was totally devoid of scruples and honor. Wherever he was, it was one warped universe, and he had no idea how to get home.


	37. Grass

"Captain, I think Malcolm and I finally tracked down the cause of that energy drain."

"I found this growing in quantities in hydroponics, sir. It's not listed in their manifest." Reed showed Archer a potted plant. The leaves looked vaguely familiar.

"Whose is it?"

"Doc says it's his."

"He informed me it has medicinal uses as an antinauseant and antiemetic, an analgesic and an appetite stimulant, amongst others. Apparently, it can also be used as a truth serum."

"Well, I'll be damned! Phlox is growing grass?"

"From the smile on his face, I'm guessin' he's smokin' some of it, too."


	38. Coffee ATR

Three of _Enterprise's_ senior officers considered their choice of a nightcap.

"How 'bout an espresso?"

"You'll be wired for sound all night. Some of us have an early shift. I prefer a pot of soothing Earl Grey tea."

"You and T'Pol, always drinkin' stuff that tastes like dishwater."

"You've actually tried dishwater to have a basis for comparison?"

Archer chuckled at the banter. "In the early days of aviation, it was rumored that the cabin attendants offered coffee, tea or me."

"I know what I want."

"I concur."

The mess was empty when the steward returned to take their orders.


	39. Silver MU

Scripture in the Mirror Universe:

In the Mirror Universe, the going rate for services rendered is 30 pieces of silver.

In the Mirror Universe, to love one another is the sign of a degenerate mind.

In the Mirror Universe, a companion's kiss of betrayal is expected and guarded against, not passively accepted.

In the Mirror Universe, there is no compassion for the meek. It's the dirt that they'll inherit, not the Earth.

In the Mirror Universe, one renders unto Caesar all that Caesar can compel.

In the Mirror Universe, the guiding question for one's life is "What would Judas do?"

Note: Point 4 taken from the song _The Seven Deadly Virtues_ from the Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe musical _Camelot_.


	40. Slippery

Star charts of the Delphic Expanse warn of spatial anomalies and thermobaric clouds but not that it's a slippery slope.

In the Delphic Expanse, the Geneva Convention's rules on torture don't apply. You threaten to space a man if he doesn't give you the desired information.

Religious or not, the Ten Commandments are a good idea, but in the Expanse, 8, thou shalt not steal, goes out the airlock when you need a warp coil.

Worst of all, so does 6, thou shalt not kill. You know that you killed Sim. And you know that he wasn't just a slug.


	41. Nuts

Deanna Troi was surprised to find that Jonathan Archer had lobbied Starfleet to put counselors aboard NX-class ships. As she read his reports, however, the surprise faded. An unplanned pregnancy, suicidal ideation, survivor's guilt, near-death experiences and a complicated love affair. All that was just Trip Tucker! First Officer T'Pol seemed to have had an adjustment disorder (on many levels) and chose to self-medicate with trellium. Reed had self-esteem issues and a touch of paranoia. Archer himself had had attachment issues with those baby insect Xindi. Why, Sato's claustrophobia seemed downright normal. The crew of the NX-01 had been nuts!


	42. Tears TATV

Trip Tucker was dying, no use denying it. He regretted not having the chance to make it legal with T'Pol and not patching everything up with Malcolm, but he didn't regret protecting Jon or the fact that it had all started by saving Shran and Jhamel's little girl, Talla. Hell, he hadn't been able to save his own kid! She might not have come about in the usual way, but Elizabeth had Tucker DNA. She was his daughter!

"_Would you know my name  
><em>_If I saw you in heaven?"_

The pain increased, Phlox's "good stuff" no longer good enough. As a big brother, he regretted that he hadn't gone first so Lizzie would have had someone waiting for her and wouldn't have been afraid. He'd let her down, let her face the last unknown alone and now he wondered,

"_Would you hold my hand . . .  
><em>_Would you help me stand  
><em>_If I saw you in heaven?"_

There were other things in life he wasn't exactly proud of, the Cogenitor for one, but he could have done much worse. The pain eased.

"_Beyond the door there's peace I'm sure  
><em>_And I know they'll be no more tears in heaven."_

NOTE: A double drabble this time. The song _Tears in Heaven_ was written by Eric Clapton and Will Jennings.


	43. Blue AU Relaunch

In a dive bar at the end of the universe, a Vulcan-appearing musician pulled out an harmonica and began to play. As he formed the melancholy notes, Trip Tucker reflected that he should have listened to Malcolm. He thought he could "play dead", do the job for Harris and then miraculously reclaim his life. As time passed, though, that seemed less and less likely. He needed to face facts and accept it. T'Pol would have told him it was the logical thing to do. And he would, just not tonight.

_I'm going back someday, come what may, to Blue Bayou._

Note: The song _Blue Bayou_ was written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson.


	44. Rain AU Relaunch

Young Mr. Willoughby, caretaker at Elmwood, noticed the elderly Vulcan standing at the Tucker family plot and thought how unpleasant the cold rain must be for him. The few Vulcans who stopped by were never trouble, though, so he went on about his work.

Trip Tucker stared at the dates, new marks on his parents' headstone, and took in Lizzie's smiling face laser-etched in the pink granite, his own military standard issue stone and the small stone in the shape of a lamb for Elizabeth. He was grateful for the rain that hid his tears. It never rained on Vulcan.


	45. Sing TT AU Relaunch

Something told T'Pol to open, not delete, the message from "The Boss." It was a music vid set in front of a seedy gaming establishment, once the Trump Taj Mahal. There was the eerie wail of an harmonica and a voice she thought she'd never hear again:

_Well now everything dies baby that's a fact  
><em>_But maybe everything that dies someday comes back  
><em>_Put your makeup on, fix your hair up pretty  
><em>_And meet me tonight in Atlantic City._

Attached was a boarding pass for the transcon shuttle out of SFO.

Eyebrow raised. The boss? But she made the flight.

Note: The song _Atlantic City_ was written by Bruce Springsteen.


	46. Thirst

They all thirsted for something. For Archer, it was knowledge of new people, new places, anything the Vulcans didn't already know. And to see his father's engine fly. For T'Pol, too, it was knowledge, but of a different sort: How it felt to give free reign to emotions and to lose her virginity to the human Chief Engineer. Tucker was just thirsty: Drinks with Reed in times good or bad. Mayweather wanted adventure and speed. Sato sought new languages. Reed thought always of upgrading their weapons systems. In a mirror universe, though, their counterparts simply thirsted for power, absolute power.


	47. Claws

I flex my claws, glad to have them, know I can always defend myself. The two-legged ones aren't like me. They rely on Watchdog's little claws of fire when Dad allows them and if there are enough to go around.

I listen to Uncle Trip and Watchdog fight about the pack's great claws of fire.

"Damn all, Commander, the cannons will need that power if they come back."

"Hell, Malcolm, you couldn't stop them if you drained the core. It's better to turn and run. Fast!"

For them, barks can be sharp claws, but pack mates shouldn't claw one another.


	48. Bread

Chef was a firm believer that breaking bread together could bring peace, and humans had a wide assortment from which to choose. Phlox had a fondness for cornbread until he tasted cinnamon raisin. No doubt it would be something else next week. T'Pol appreciated the extra protein in the triticale that he used in pizza dough. There was the added advantage that she could easily eat pizza with a knife and fork. Shran particularly liked the hearty dark rye pumpernickel. The Tellarites seemed to like Ethiopian injera. Although everyone else said it tasted like half-baked sourdough, they ate without complaint.


	49. Game AU MU

Working alone in a secluded area of the armory, Hayes was startled when he heard Malcolm's voice. "You do good work when you're not plotting my death." Hayes turned and saw the phase pistol aimed at his head. Malcolm went on conversationally, "Archer wants the prisoner back. We're likely to run into nasties over there. I can do something about that, if you cooperate, and capitalize on it to our advantage in a way the captain never could. Put that into your equation." He saw the interest, holstered the weapon and walked nonchalantly away. A most dangerous game had begun.


	50. Wet RS AU Stinky Verse

Although it's true that Watchdog doesn't like deep water in large quantities, that doesn't mean that he doesn't like to get wet. Despite what Stinky thinks, he's not some cat! He wants to be well groomed and to have a clean scent, especially when he's around Lady Many Barks, so he likes to use the makes it rain machine. The pulsating water on his body also helps him to relax. He doesn't have anyone to knead the muscles of his neck and pet him the way I do. Perhaps Lady Many Barks . . . She likes to get wet, too!


	51. Desert TT

T'Pol was a Vulcan. Maybe she really didn't understand love, but from his experience of her, he didn't believe that.

She came from a desert world, so certainly she could understand that she was his oasis, his life-giving water, his cool shade under the palm trees. Certainly she could understand that every time she pushed him away he felt as though he had chased a mirage, that she was leaving him defenseless in a blistering wasteland of shifting sands, the mountainous dunes becoming harder to climb.

Perhaps she would if he told her, but he didn't really believe that, either.


	52. New Beginnings AU MU

The ride through the wormhole had been terrifying, what he remembered of it. The shuttlepod's emergency beacon must have led _Enterprise_ to it. He didn't know how he'd ended up in sickbay, but now he understood the imposter's confusion. A caring Phlox? A handsome, friendly Tucker? Archer wasn't what he expected in a captain, but he could work that to his advantage. And Sato? Really, what could one say? She was one delectable little bird and already favorably disposed toward him if he were any judge. Here's to new beginnings! Major Malcolm Reed was really going to like it here.


	53. Downtime RS AU Stinky Verse

Malcolm had never cared much for downtime. He preferred late hours in the armory upgrading weapons, getting in some extra target practice, working out in the gym or spending a quiet evening researching EM fields, but then he'd rescued Stinky from a probably short, unpleasant life in the bowels of a space station. Now, he had someone waiting for him at home. He looked forward to being greeted by the sound of the jingle bells on Stinky's collar, his happy meows and contented purrs. He enjoyed playing with him. It didn't hurt that Hoshi often stopped by and joined them.


	54. Shampoo TR

Malcolm stormed out of the "loo" with a bottle of shampoo in his hand. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"Nope, it's all the quartermaster's got. The whole pallet was mislabeled. Hoshi says it's good stuff, though." Trip seemed unfazed by his partner's outburst.

Malcolm glared at him before returning to the shower.

Trip didn't mention that Hoshi had also shown him an old ad for the product. The spokesperson, a gorgeous man in a tight black T-shirt, had an English accent that made the word "salon" sound so high class.

Apparently, just another cover from Malcolm's stint with Harris.


	55. Pizza

"Chef, have you seen Malcolm?"

"_Non, monsieur._ I'm beginning to think he dislikes my cooking."

"It's not that." Trip explained Malcolm's prolonged absence from the mess hall.

"I think I can fix that."

An hour later Trip stood outside Malcolm's door and pushed the buzzer. "Pizza for Reed." No answer. He tried again. "Come on, Malcolm, open up. Chef made this special and it's gettin' cold." The door slid open.

Trip placed a deep dish, Chicago-style, Hawaiian pizza with extra pineapple on Malcolm's desk. "Malcolm, stuff happens, but it worked out. You need to take care of yourself. Now eat!"


	56. Skate TATV

At center ice, Talla struck the opening pose for her long program. She ignored the announcer's stumble over her family name, a frequent occurrence when she competed off-world. The overture to the opera _Icebreaker Kumari_ began, the music rising to _fortissimo_ as she gained speed for the jump. Then she was airborne, willing her body around six times in the blink of an eye before making a solid landing. The crowd erupted, but her delicate antennae heard only the elderly pinkskin sitting with her parents. "Hot damn, she did it!" Without his son's sacrifice years ago, she wouldn't be here.


	57. Memory AU Stinky Verse XO

Stinky, a small, old, calico cat, sat on the window seat in the moonlight and remembered a time when he knew what adventure was as a member of the _Enterprise_ pride. They'd had enough to fill nine lives; indeed, Brave Tiger, who'd rescued him from a bad place, had gone through all of his defending the pride and its territory. After that, he'd shared a den with Lady Many Purrs. His antics made her smile when she missed Brave Tiger, and she petted him when he felt the same. In time, she mated with Sleek Panther and now they had a pride of their own. He heard Malcolm-_chan_ and Mariko-_chan_ laughing in the other room. They were always very gentle with him, but he was too old and too arthritic to keep up with them or to be much fun when they played. He missed the old days and old friends, even Porthos.

"You've done well, lad. You've taken good care of her. She and Travis are happy. You've earned your reward."

Stinky scampered across the bridge to the Heaviside layer where he'd begin a new life. He'd always been told he was special. He was a true Jellicle cat.


	58. Midnight

"Trip, do you know where Malcolm got the idea for this mission's recognition signal?"

"Remember the last installment of The Galaxy's Worst Films Ever at movie night?"

"Porthos needed a bath that evening."

"It was about this third-rate musician who falls asleep at work and dreams he's been sent to Earth to blow the last trumpet on Judgment Day 'cept he keeps screwin' up and missin' the deadline. Jack Benny was OK, but Malcolm thought he was hilarious." Trip shrugged.

"Gentleman, shall we review? What is the signal?"

In a low, melodramatic voice Archer replied, "The Horn Blows at Midnight."


	59. Theatre XO

Shakespeare's _Henry V_ was Malcolm Reed's favorite play, so he tried to draw inspiration from it now. As captain of the _Defiant_, he prayed for a muse of fire that would bring his wrap drive back on line as the three Xindi ships came ever closer. No St. Crispin's day speech. Not his style. Besides, there was no one left back in England, or even on Earth, to regret not being a part of his band of brothers. All that remained was to go once more onto the breach, dear friends, as the view screen exploded in a blinding flash.


	60. Peanuts XO

The intrepid little beagle wearing goggles and a long scarf around his neck sat at the controls of his Sopwith Camel. He knew his mates were counting on him to clear the skies of their nemesis. He knew it would be tough. The man had 80 kills, had even brought him down a time or two, but not **this **time he swore to himself as the bright red Fokker triplane came into view. He barrel rolled and looped the loop but to no avail. "Drats! Curse you, Red Baron!"

Trip wasn't the only one on _Enterprise_ who liked comic strips.


End file.
